Unit Plan Title: Sound and Motion
Primary Subject
Science
Integrated Subjects
Math, ELA
Grade Level
2nd
Length of Unit
7 days
Research Sources
http://www.teachengineering.org/view_activity.php?
url=collection/cub_/activities/cub_energy2/
cub_energy2_lesson05_activity1.xml
http://www.housingaforest.com/dancing-oobleck/
Unit Summary
Sound and Motion
Students will explore sound and vibrations. They will learn
how sound travels, how sound and vibrating objects are
related, and how movement affects sound. Students will
use vernier probes to measure sound waves. They will
create objects that produce similar sound waves when
dropped.
Key Vocabulary
vibration, vibrate, sound wave, movement, energy, pitch,
frequency, eardrum, vocal cords, decibels
NC Essential Standards for 2.P.1 Understand the
2.P.1.1 Illustrate how sound
Science
relationship between sound is produced by vibrating
and vibrating objects.
objects and columns of air.
2.P.1.2 Summarize the
relationship between sound
and objects of the body that
vibrate-eardrum and vocal
cords.
Common Core Standards 2.MD.1 Measure the length of an object by selecting and
for Mathematics
using appropriate tools such as rulers, yardsticks, meter
sticks, and measuring tapes.
2.MD.4 Measure to determine how much longer one
object is than another, expressing the length difference in
terms of a standard length unit.
Common Core Standards W.2.7 Participate in shared research and writing projects.
for ELA & Literacy
SL.2.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with
diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers
and adults in small or larger groups.
Essential Questions
RogersStacey
Saturday, September 7, 2013 9:52:46 AM ET
How does movement affect sound?
Where are sounds found around us?
How do sounds change?
How are sound and vibrating objects related?
How can you see and feel sound energy?
How do we hear sound?
Materials & Resources
RogersStacey
Saturday, September 7, 2013 9:52:46 AM ET
Lesson One
The Listening Walk by Paul Showers
Lesson Two
Brain Pop Jr. video - Sound (http://www.brainpopjr.com/science/
energy/sound/preview.weml)
variety of musical instruments
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/gamesactivities/
changingsounds.html
Lesson Three
“Seeing Sounds” sheet (http://www.teachengineering.org/
collection/cub_/activities/cub_energy2/
cub_energy2_lesson05_activity1_worksheet.pdf)
tuning fork
cardboard milk container
scissors
tissue paper
tape
small mirror
flashlight
spatula
rubber bands
boom box
balloons
paper plate
small pieces of paper
Lesson Four
corn starch
water
large speaker
cookie sheet
food coloring
test tones
Lesson Five
ear model
interactive ear model - http://www.hearingcenteronline.com/
ear2.shtml
Sources of Sound Module - http://www.engineeringinteract.org/
resources/oceanodyssey/flash/concepts/sourcesofsound.htm
Lessons Six and Seven
box of materials for challenge (boxes, string, metal, tape, paper
towel rolls, rocks, pipes, bean bags, etc.)
Vernier LabQuest (with external microphone)
Vernier Sound Level Meter
pudding
food to drop in pudding (raisins, blueberries, etc.)
studyjams video (Sound) - http://studyjams.scholastic.com/
studyjams/jams/science/energy-light-sound/sound.htm
Activities/Procedures
RogersStacey
Saturday, September 7, 2013 9:52:46 AM ET
Lesson One
EQ: Where are sounds found around us?
-Read The Listening Walk. Take students on a listening
walk. Have students write down everything they hear.
Discuss that sounds are all around us.
-After the listening walk, sort the things they heard by types
of sounds (loud vs. soft; high vs. low).
Lesson Two
EQ: How do sounds change?
-Watch a Brain Pop Jr video on sound (http://
www.brainpopjr.com/science/energy/sound/preview.weml)
-Experiment with instruments to create different sounds.
-Learn about changing sounds and music by interacting
with guitars and drums on this site: http://
www.sciencekids.co.nz/gamesactivities/
changingsounds.html
Lesson Three
EQ: How does movement affect sound?
EQ: How are sound and vibrating objects related?
EQ: How can you see and feel sound energy?
-Explore the term vibration. Have students shake their
bodies as fast as they can. Discuss that when something
moves back and forth it vibrates. Explain that sound is
made by vibrations too fast to see. Have students hum
and place their fingers on their throat to feel the vibrations.
-Explain that biomedical engineers study sound energy to
design devices so that people who cannot speak or hear
are able to create or identify sound waves.
-In the activity stations students will learn more about
sound energy. Stations include: tuning fork station, milk
container-reflector station, spatula blade station, rubber
bands on doorknob station, boom box station (see “Seeing
Sounds Worksheet”).
Lesson Four
EQ: How does movement affect sound?
EQ: How are sound and vibrating objects related?
-Review how sound and vibrating objects are related.
-To help students understand vibrations, create dancing
oobleck:
*Make oobleck (2 cups of corn starch, 1 cup of water)
*Place a cookie sheet onto a large speaker and pour the
oobleck in it.
*Download different test tones and play them.
*While the music is playing, hold your fingers on the edge
of the cookie
sheet with a little pressure to hold it down.
*The oobleck will begin “dancing” because of the
vibrations.
*To add a greater effect, put a few drops of different food
coloring and
watch the colors mix.
Lesson Five
EQ: How do we hear sound?
-Have students brainstorm how we actually hear sound.
What happens when the vibrations reach our ears?
-Show interactive ear model and discuss (http://
www.hearingcenteronline.com/ear2.shtml) Demonstrate
this with an ear model.
-To show how we hear sounds, complete the Sources of
Sound module with students (http://
www.engineeringinteract.org/resources/oceanodyssey/
flash/concepts/sourcesofsound.htm)
RogersStacey
Saturday, September 7, 2013 9:52:46 AM ET
Lessons Six and Seven
EQ: How does movement affect sound?
Challenge Given to Students:
Early this morning while (custodian) was unlocking the
school, he heard a loud, strange sound. After investigating
he discovered an unusual crater located near the
playground. (Custodian) has marked off the area for your
safety. After police, firefighters and local scientists
analyzed the crater they have yet discovered what fell from
the sky to make this mysterious indentation. The sound
was captured on our camera system; however, we were
unable to get a picture of the object. (Principal) has asked
you, as young scientists, to research and discover what
might have have caused this.
-As part of the challenge, students will use the Vernier
LabQuest and/or Sound Level Meter to measure the sound
level of the falling object. They will create an object that
has similar sound waves and frequency as the one
measured by the object that created the crater.
-To explain the terms crater and indentation, have students
create pudding craters.
*Each small group gets a shallow dish of pudding.
*They take turns dropping/throwing various food items
(blueberries, chocolate chips, raisins, etc.) into the
pudding.
*Students will remove some of the objects to look at the
crater/indentation the object made. They can measure
the size of each and compare.
-To help students understand what sound waves look like,
play the studyjams video (Sound) - http://
studyjams.scholastic.com/studyjams/jams/science/energylight-sound/sound.htm
-Students will plan and track their progress in their science
journals.
-They will also use their iPads to take pictures and videos
as they work. They will use these to document their
progress by creating a slideshow or iMovie.
Accommodations for
Differentiated Instruction
RogersStacey
Saturday, September 7, 2013 9:52:46 AM ET
Small cooperative groups allow students to support each
other’s learning.
Students can act out different vocabulary words.
Students can draw pictures in their science journals.
A variety of activities will be utilized throughout the unit to
accommodate all learning styles.
Cross Curricular
Integration
Assessments:
•Performance-based
•Formative
•Summative
*Students will measure the dimensions of the crater.
*Students will measure and compare the indentions/craters
made in the pudding (lessons 6-7).
*Students will write observations and plans in their science
journals.
*They will create a project to share showing their results
from the challenge.
*Students will be working with cooperative groups,
speaking and listening to one another, throughout the unit.
Performance-based
*experimenting with instruments (lesson 2)
*activity stations (lesson 3)
*measuring sound waves (lessons 6-7)
Formative
*anecdotal notes from listening walk (lesson 1)
*information gained from “Seeing Sounds Worksheet” and
anecdotal notes taken during activity stations (lesson 3)
*science journal (throughout unit)
Extension Activities
Created by
Email
RogersStacey
Saturday, September 7, 2013 9:52:46 AM ET
Summative
*final project documenting work on PBL challenge (lessons
6-7)
-Use Garage Band to create music with different pitches.
Use the vernier to measure the sound waves of each pitch
and compare.
-School-wide sharing day
Stacey Rogers
rogerssl@rss.k12.nc.us